Wednesday, October 31, 2007

I am very excited to report that there's a lot of buzz about the November 17th Charity event! So much in fact, that I am going to create an online schedule so folks know what sessions are available.

Again, the sessions will be about 15 minutes long, with 5 minutes of "buffer" time. We're going to begin at 8 sharp! The event will take place at 17 "1/2" & Rochester Rd in Troy, Michigan. I have hired two extra people to help you answer any questions, explain the process, and make sure you get in and out of the studio without any hiccups. I will be in the studio doing what I do best!

IMPORTANT: Please show up 15 minutes ahead of your scheduled session. Unfortunately, if you show up late, we will not be able to add additional time... (Thank you for your understanding!)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

In a year when I've been so lucky to have met so many new clients in the community, I thought it was important to give back... I will be setting aside one entire day to have multiple photo sessions where 100% of the sitting fees collected go to charity.

I am in the process of sending these out to my current clients, but I wanted to also post this here so some folks can get a head start.

This is a great opportunity to get pictures taken in time for the holiday. Whether you need a family picture or individual shots, this is a great opportunity to help out the community - and get those photos in time for the holidays!

Due to the amazing response, the sessions will not be my typical one hour sessions, to allow more families to take part in the event. The sessions will be long enough to get a variety of poses (and of course many of my popular unposed shots!) While 15 minutes doesn't seem like a ton of time, please know that this is LOTS more time than I typically have at weddings and school photo sessions to get the same shots! Fifteen minutes is often a perfect length of time for little people. The pictures will be edited and posted online within 48 hours, to ensure timely ordering before December. (Please note that the actual session will be 20 minutes so families are not rushed in and out of the studio.)

Here are more details...

If interested, please e-mail me at beth@bethmerritt.com Space is very limited and spots will go fast, so call or e-mail me early to be a part of this charity event!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Two very young ladies, Cara and Natalie (still in high school) visited me this afternoon to educate me about their new business "That's A Wrap!". I was so excited about these young ladies and their initiative. They were going door to door to introduce themselves and teach the neighborhood about who they are and what they do.I get so excited when I see young women doing such great things! I know this isn't in any way related to photography, but I just wanted to take the time to highlight these two great young women doing business in our community. Many of you know that it is so hard to run your own business - and to do it at such a young age is really amazing!If any of you are like me, and don't have a minute to spare, check out the services provided by these ladies.Have a great day! (And Cara/Natalie - keep up the great work!!)

Monday, October 22, 2007

I've had some complaints from clients informing me that they are getting massive amounts of e-mail from Pictage.com. Admittedly, this is one of the biggest flaws with Pictage, and I am very disappointed that I am powerless to monitor or reduce the e-mails that they send out.

However, I do know that there is an "opt-out"/"unsubscribe" option at the end of the e-mails they send. If you are getting bombarded by e-mail please do not hesitate to unsubscribe to these e-mails. (The last thing I want is unhappy clients due to the online hosting service!)

I promise to look for a new (better) one in March when I visit the next major photography convention...!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Yes, yes... you heard it here! I will be taking a vacation starting Friday afternoon, returning Sunday evening. I will not be checking e-mail or voicemail during this time... I will do my very best to follow up with your requests on Monday when I return. (This is my first day off in about four weeks... I cannot tell you how excited I am!!!)

I had the pleasure of meeting the entire McGuire Family this Sunday. The newest McGuire is super cute - and so happy! I love the picture of him with the little patch of hair sticking up.

We had tons of fun in the park.. climbing trees, exploring playhouses, and running around. And fortunately for the little ones, it was about 20 degrees warmer than the previous day! Everyone was dressed in brown with the cutest little brown sweaters - (props to mom as she had one of the better coordinating outfits that I've seen...!)

This family is absolutely crazyabout Michigan State! They had called me about taking some pictures to celebrate their parent's 40th anniversary, and I expected what folks normally want: some posed pictures with coordinated outfits amongst a nice background... But this family didn't stop there!

Add a change of (green) clothing, three dogs, one huge helmet, and some pom-poms and what do you get? A fabulous family picture with some Spartan spirit! Even the dogs were dressed in Michigan State bandannas! It was awesome!

This beautiful young lady has more than good looks... in just a couple of months Nancy will begin college and will major in pre-med. Beauty and brains!!! (...Boys, catch her now before she finds a doctor of her own!)

I have known Mr. Wilbanks for many years, but it wasn't until recently that I got to meet his wonderful family. These little people are among the sweetest and most well-behaved children I've ever worked with!

The children were having a jumping contest of sorts and it was hilarious to watch (see below.) There were no tears - and the young siblings were more than happy to to pose for a couple of pictures... a rarity!

Last Saturday fall was upon us in full force! It was a freezing 45 deg F at 10:00am... yet without any thought, the Guindi Family chose to grin and bear it - and I'm so glad they did!

Anyone know what the biggest challenge for family photographers is? You're probably gonna' say bad lighting... or a grumpy child. Nope, we are trained to fix that stuff. It is, without a doubt, stressed parents! That being said, it is rare that I come across a set of parents that are so completely stress free and just let the session happen. Well, this family did... and it was soooo much fun!

They were running through the park, tickling, playing and laughing the whole way through the session. Truly an amazing family. You can tell they really mean a lot to each other. To be honest, this family reminds me of my family. We play - we laugh - and after thirty years, I can say I am very close to my brothers and parents. I don't yet have a family of my own, but when I finally do, I want to have a relationship with my children like this...

Thursday, October 11, 2007

This evening I did a quick photo shoot for these girl's senior yearbook photos. (The main shoots were done outside.) The yearbook requires they be in-studio with a dark background. Here are the final two they chose!

Monday, October 8, 2007

For those of you that don’t know how I got started doing photography, it was because of one of my very best friends needing some pictures for her son. With my new SLR in hand, I went over to her house to try out an experiment: children’s pictures. I had never taken a picture of a child before and had little to no clue what I was doing. About four hours and (literally) about 1,000 pictures later, we had the final pictures. (She had to practically kick me out of the house; I was so worried about not getting “the shot”!)

For the final pictures, I created an album to surprise my friend. Well, she liked the album a lot and showed everyone… and I mean everyone. Two weeks later, I started getting requests for photo shoots from people I have never met before, and viola… Beth Merritt Photography was born. So, if you like my work, thank my friend because without her, bethmerritt.com would not exist!

A ton of classes, about a hundred photo shoots, and many many books later, I have now managed to take a good cross section of pictures in under an hour, shooting considerably less than 1,000 pictures per session (can you imagine?!!)

Here are some of my favorites from this very very special family… (and look at how big the little boy that started it all has become!)

On Saturday morning, I was lucky enough to meet the Champoux Family during my early session. Their son was one of the most energetic little boys I have ever met (which, by the way, is always great for pictures!) He was jumping, exploring, and playing throughout our entire session.

During the session, we were lucky enough to see a gorgeous sunrise and also deer (…being chased by a golden retriever no less!) This was no doubt a reward for starting our session so early!